Fire-escape



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. R. SHANNON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

. Patented Nov. 21, 1893.

dig M mi NATIONAL unqcarupnma comwmv.

wnsu "drum n c (No Model.)

' 3' Sheets-Sheet 2. A. R. SHANNON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

1145 NATIONAL umoeiuwma COMPANY.

WASHDNGTON. 0. c4

INVENTOR,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. R. SHANNON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 509,106. Patenfied Nov. 21, 1893.

WITNESSES:

JNE mmcmAL urncesupnma ccMPANY.

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW ROBERT SHANNON, OF VVATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,106, dated November 21, 1893.

Applicationfiled September 30, 1892. Serial No. 4 47,379- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW ROBERT SHAN- NON, of Watertown, in thecounty of Jefferson, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of

which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in fire escapes of the class described and claimed in my previous patent, No. 463,670, dated November 24, 1891, and has for its object the production of a device of great practicability, simplicity, and efficiency.

To this end it consists, essentially, in a lengthwise guide on the outside of a building wall, a carriage movable up and down the guide, a revoluble shaft having one end connected to the carriage for raising and lowering thesame as the shaft is revolved, a countor-balance for the carriage connected to the shaft, a liquid containing shell preferably mounted on the inner side of the building wall and. formed with a pair of connected chambers, a pair of drums at the opposite extremities of the liquid containing shell, one of which is revolved by the inner end of said shaft,,a plunger movable in one chamber of said shell and provided with a liquid passage, a movable valve for opening and closing said passage, a partition in the other chamber of the shell, and a flexible connection movable through said partition and having its opposite extremities passed over said drums and connected to said plunger.

The invention furthermore consists in the detail construction and arrangement of the parts, all as hereinafter more particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In describing this invention, reference is had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which, like letters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is atop plan view of myimproved fire escape,a portion of its supporting building wall being shown in section and its upper protecting case or cover being removed. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the parts as shown at Fig. 1, the upper case or cover being here illustrated in section. Fig. 3 is vertical sectional view,

taken on line 33, Fig. 1, the carriage being omitted, the lower end of the counterbalance chamber broken away, and the drum on the revoluble shaft illustrated as in the same vertical plane as the counterbalance for the carriage for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the construction and operation of said parts and the flexible connection between the two. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken on line -4at-, Fig. 1, representing particularly the carriage, the central portion of which is broken away, the drum for raising and lowering the carriage, and the flexible connection between these parts. Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views, taken respectively on lines 55- of Fig. 2 and 66--, Fig. 5, illustrating the general construction and arrangement of the liquid containing shell on the inner side of the supporting building wall, the plunger and drums within said shell and the flexible connection passed over said drums and connected to the plunger. Fig. 7 is atop plan view, partly in section, of the detached carriage and its guide, a dotted line illustrating the plane of the building wall. Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken on line 88, Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view, takenon line 9-9, Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is an enlargedtransverse sectional view, taken on line '-10-10-, Fig. 5. Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view, taken on line 1l11, Fig. 10. and Fig. 12 is an enlarged transverse sectional View, taken on line -12 12, Fig. 2.

, My improved fire escape is of such construction that its carriage is automatically supported in its elevated position, is free to descend as soon as occupied, and is prevented from rapid descent, even when heavily laden. It is also of such construction that the carriage may be stopped or held at any desired height to remove persons from a floor beneath the top floor of the building. v

A represents an outer supportingbuilding wall, and act' the floors of any suitable construction of, building to which it may be desired to attach my improved fire escape.

B is a suitable carriage supported at the outside of the building wall A, and O a revoluble shaft passed horizontally through said wall and arranged with its outer end suitably connected to the carriage B for raising and lowering the same as the shaft edges movable in curved grooves b in the i wall of the carriage -B and its outer or front side provided with a hand engaging projection b'. A suitable counterweight B Fig. 4, is connected to the inner face of said side of the door -B by a cord -B- passing over a suitable pulley B and serves to normally close said door.

In entering the carriage B- the door ispulled backwardly against the force of the counterweight B and, when the person desiring to use the carriage, is safely within the same, the door is released and is immediately closed automatically, thus protecting the occupant should flames dart or project from the portion of the building, along which the carriage moves in its descent.

B represents a support or bar above the carriage B-, and B links having their inner or upper ends connected to said support or bar, and their outer or lower ends to lugs B on the top of the carriage.

--O is a drum upon the outer end of the shaft -C-, and -cc--cc peripheral flanges on said drum between which are wound the upper ends of flexible connections or straps DDD-. These upper ends of the straps -DD-D-D are firmly secured to the drum C by a wedge shaped cross bar c' movable in the peripheral face of the drum -C', and their lower ends are extended downwardly at one side of the shaft C--, and are secured by a similar cross bar c' movable in the upper face of the support B, which forms virtually the 1 top of the carriage -B-.

Upon the shaft O is a second drum -G*- interposed between the former drum --O and the building wall -A-.

-E is a flexible connection or strap having one end secured to the drum G by suitable fastening means e, and the other end passed downwardly at the side of the shaft --O- opposite to that adjacent to the lower end of the connections DDD, and extended within a chamber -F- at one side of the carriage B, and connected at -f to a movable counterweight -F'-- for the carriage B. The chamber -F extends vertically along the onter side of the building wall A, and is supported in position by brackets A A projecting therefrom, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2, and, as presently described, this chamber is of such construction as to form a guide for the carriage --B in its movement.

At the upper end of the chamber F are anti-friction rollers -ff between which the end of the connection or strap E-- is passed for guiding the same in its movement and straightening any kinks therein.

F is a spring having its upper end suitably secured to a plate f on the under side of the top wall of the chamber F--, and its lower end adapted to encounter the top face of the counterbalance, as the same assumes its elevated. position, thus causing the carriage B- to end its downward movement gradually and preventing injury or battering of the top wall of the chamber -F.

The counterweight F slightly overbalances the weight of the carriage, and, when the carriage is empty, gravity draws the counterweight down to the base of the chamber F, thus revolving the shaft O in the direction shown by arrow-lat Figs. 3 and 4, and elevating the carriage to its position shown at Figs. 1, 2, and 4. When the carriage is occupied the additional weight depresses the same, and raises the counterbalance to its position shown at Fig. 3, and, after the occupant emerges, both the carriage and the counterbalance assume their-normal positions. The drum O is merely a simple means of connecting the counterweight F'- to the carriage B in order that, as the counterweight descends, the carriage may be raised and vice versa, but it will be understood that other connecting mechanism may be used for efiecting this result and that-the drum O may be dispensed with entirely and the connection between the car and the counterbalance may be continuous and be passed over a single drum.

G represents arms extending laterally from the upper and lower edges of a portion of the carriage B, and d upper and lower spindles journaled in said arms.

Journaled upon the extremities of the arms -Gr are anti-friction rollers -g-engaging the outer edges of flanges F F extending from the' opposite sides of the upright wall F of the chamber F. g' represents similar rollers mounted upon the spindles -d-- with their peripheral faces bearing against the outer face of the wall F. This peculiarconstruction of the bearing faces upon the counterbalance chamher and the anti-friction rollers on the carriage serves to reduce to a minimum the amount of friction incidental to the movement of the carriage, and adds greatly to the efficiency of my invention.

At the base of thecarriage -B- I provide a false bottom or contact plate B secured to the lower end of springs --B having their upper ends attached to the base of the carriage B. This spring actuated false bottom also aids in preventing a sudden stoppage of the carriage, and obviating the jar, which would otherwise be felt.

The carriage B, the counterbalance chamber -F-, the outer end of the shaft O, and the drums O-C thereon are protected from the elements by a hood B"-- ICO secured to and projecting from the building wall A-, and, as is evident, this hood may be of any desirable form or construction.

In order to regulate the downward movement of the carriage B- and prevent its sudden descent when heavily laden, I provide an upright liquid containing shell -H,Fi gs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8, which is supported on the inner side of the building wall A by suitable brackets hh. This shell H- is provided with two chambers HH arranged side byside with their upper and-lower v ends connected together. The inner end of the shaft -O=- projects within the upper end of the shell .H, and provided thereon is a sprocketwheel -I-. Within the lower end of the shell I journal an idler I and passing around said sprocket and idler is a flexible connection -J, aportion of which is formed of links jj for engaging the teeth of the sprocket wheel.

K is a plunger movable in the left-hand chamber H' of the shell H-, and provided with lengthwise liquid passages lc lc', best seen at Figs. 6 and 9. At the opposite extremities of the plunger K- are flexible annular shoulders KK closely fitting the chamber H-, and, upon the top of the plunger, are movable valves K -K of any suitable construction for normally closing the upper ends of the liquid passages k-kand opening said ends of the passages kkfor facilitating the downward movement of the plunger and permitting an equilibrium of the pressure in both chambers.

L- is a partition at the base of the chamber H formed with a lengthwise perforation -Z for permitting the passage of the flexible connection -J. The passage l is sufficiently small to limit the rate of flow of the liquid from the lower end of the chamber H into the corresponding end of the chamber H. As the carriage B descends, as described, the shaft C is revolved in the direction shown by arrow 2 at Fig. 5, and the plunger-K-is drawn upwardly, thus firmly forcing the valves K K downwardly and closing the liquid passages lck and compressing the liquid within the upper portions of the chambers H'-H It will readily be apparent that this construction of liquid containing shell and plunger permits the carriage to descend only at a definite and comparatively slow rate of speed, as the liquid can only flow at a comparatively slow rate of speed through the passage Z from the base of the chamber -H to the lower end of the chamber-H', and the force tending to elevate the plunger K- at a greater speed than that permitted by the escape of the liquid through the passage Z, serves only to create a back pressure of the liquid, which regulates effectually theupward movement of the plunger K-. To facilitate the manufacture of the shell H- it is composed of the central section -h', which is provided with the chambers ing h Figs. 5 and 11, discharging intosaid head. A suitable float valve h having its stem movable in the opening h is normally elevated by the liquid to close said opening, and quickly drops upon the presence of air, or a slight vacuum within either of the chambers H' H to permit the'liquid to feed into said chambers from the chamber h This valve is restrained in its downward movement by stop shoulders -h adapted to bear against thetop face of the bottom wall h of said feeding chamber h and, as soon as the chambers become entirely filled, it is again elevated'to its normal position. To further insure the maintenance of a full supply of liquid within'the chambers --H- H I provide within the feed chamber h an inner uprightchamber h"- of less height than the chamber h having its upper end closed and its lower end opening through the wall h into the head h The chamberh is formed with a removable cap h and, as the liquid, which is preferably oil, is filled within the shell -H, the air at the extreme upper end of the chambers --H'- 11 is free to escape into the chamber h and is'compressed as the level of the liquid in the feed chamber h rises above that of the liquid in the chamber h, as illustrated at Fig. 5. Consequently the presence ofair in the chambers H H is entirely prevented, and said chambers are constantly filled with liquid. It will thus be readily understood from the foregoing that the downward movement of the carriage is practically and effect ively regulated by the liquid containing shell -H, and that the carriage always descends at substantially the same rate of speed.

As thus far described the carriage of my invention,whenunoccupied,normallyascends 'to the top of the building, and, in order to enable me to stop the carriage at any desired elevation should it be required to receive the occupants of a building stationed beneath the top floor, I provide suitable actuating mechanism --M, which is under the control of an operator on the ground at the side of the building. Aspreferablyconstructed thisactuating mechanism consists of v a sprocket chain m having one end passed around a wheel mmounted on a spindle m passed through the base of the building wall -A and the other passed over a sprocket m on the shaft -(J. A crank'or other hand engaging piece m is secured to the. outer end of the spindle m and, as the spindle is revolved, the shaft is rotated and the carriage positively elevated irrespective of its counterbalance. The carriage may then be held at any desired elevation. by applying sufficient force to the handle to prevent the downward movement of the counterbalance F The operation of my invention will be readily perceived from the foregoing description and upon reference to the drawings, and it will be particularly noted that the same is simple and practical in operation, and is durable and efiective in use. It will be readily understood, however, thatthe detail construction and arrangement of the parts of my improved fire escape may be considerably changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

. what I claim as new, and desire tosecure. by

Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fire escape, the combination of an upright guide having a lengthwise bearing face, and a pair of lengthwise bearing faces extendingat an angle with the former face and arranged on opposite sides thereof, acarriage movable along said guide, arms projecting from the carriage, a spindle. having its opposite ends adjustably mounted in said arms, an anti, friction wheel on the spindle bearing against the former face, and anti friction Wheels journaled in said arms and bearing against the latter faces, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a fire escape, the combination of an upright guide having upright front and side bearing faces, a carriage movable along the guide, a, pair of split bands encircling the upper and lower ends of the carriage and, having their ends separated and provided with arms extending laterally toward said guide and formed with slots, rollers journaled' on said arms and movable on the side bearing faces of said guide, a spindle having its opposite endsv adj ustably mountedv in said slots, a roller mounted on said spindle and, bearing against the front bearing face of the guide and means for raising and lowering said carriage, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell, formed with a pair of connectedchambers a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, and a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell, formed with a pair of connected chambers a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers and formed with a longitudinal liquid passage, a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, and a movable valve at one extremity of the liquid passagein said plunger, substantially as described.

5. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell formed with a pair of connected chambers, a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one chamber of the shell,apartition in the other chamber of theshell, and a-flexible connection movable in said other chamber of the shell through said partition and arranged 'with its opposite extremities extended into the former chamber and connected to the p1-unger,.substantially as specified.

6. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a, liquid containing shell, formed with a pair of connected chambers a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, a liquid feeding chamber, and a valve between said shell and chamber for automatically feeding liquid into the shell, substantially as set forth.

7. In a fire escape, the, combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell, formed with apair of connected chambers. a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, a liquid feeding chamber, a valve'between said shell and chamber for antomatically feeding liquid into the shell, and a chamber within the feeding chamber having one extremity opening into the shell and having the other extremity closed, substantially as set forth.

8. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell, formed with a pair of connected chambers a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, a spindle beneath said shaft, and connections, substantially as described, between said shaft and spindle, whereby the shaft is rotated as the spindle is revolved, substantially as described.

9. In a fire escape, the combination with the wall of a building; of a movablecarriage on the outside of the wall, a revolving shaft passed through said Wall and having one extremity connected to the carriage for raising and lowering the same, a liquid containing shell formed with a pair of connected chambers on the inside of the wall of the building, a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by the inner end of said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, a spindle beneath the shaft, and power transmitting mechanism, substantially as described, arranged on the inside of the building between said shaft and spindle for revolving the shaft as the spindle is rotated, substantially as described.

10. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell, formed with a pair of chambers a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, a counterbalance for the carriage, a.

drum on said shaft, and a connection between said counterbalance and drum, substantially as specified.

11. In a fire escape, the combination of a longitudinal guide, a carriage movable on said guide, a shaft having one end connected, substantially as described, to said carriage, for raising and lowering the same as the shaft is revolved, a liquid containing shell formed with a pair of connected chambers, a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved bysaid shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one chamber of the shell, a partition in the other chamber of the shell, and a flexible connection movable through said partition in the other chamber of the shell and arranged with its opposite extremities extended into the former chamber and connected to the plunger, substantially as described.

12. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shaft formed with a pair of connected chambers, a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell, one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one chamber of the shell and provided with a pair of openings therethrough, valves at the upper ends of said openings, a partition in the other chamber of the shell, and aflexible connection movable in said other chamber of the shell through said partition and arranged with its opposite extremities extended into the former chamber and connected to the plunger, substantially as and for the purpose described.

13. In a fire escape, the combination of a movable carriage, a revolving shaft for raising and lowering said carriage, a liquid containing shell formed with a pair of connected chambers and provided at its upper end with a removable cap, a pair of drums at the opposite ends of said shell one of which is revolved by said shaft, a plunger movable lengthwise in one of said chambers, and a connection passed over the drums with its opposite extremities secured to the plunger, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at the town of Oobourg, in the county of North umberland, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, this 20th'day of September,l892.

ANDREW ROBERT SHANNON.

Witnesses:

H. F. HOLLAND, A. J. HEWSON. 

